The invention relates to a method of operative influencing of a damping supporting system mounted between a chassis and a body of a motor vehicle, which system has at least one damping assembly mounted between the chassis and the body of the vehicle, in which method the damping properties of at least a part of the damping assemblies are modified depending upon at least one operational state quantity between at least three damping characteristics of different damping intensity.
In known methods of this generic type the values of the operational state quantities are made available either directly by sensors or by computing units situated downstream of the sensors. Usually, there are respectively associated with the individual damping characteristics an upper and a lower limit of the damping requirements signalled by the operational state quantity. Switching over to a specific one of the damping characteristics is then performed if the damping requirement signalled by the operational state quantity exceeds the lower threshold value associated with this damping characteristic and does not reach the corresponding upper threshold value. The known methods of influencing the supporting system of a vehicle are thus only able to react to the stimulations of the vehicle body detected through the value for the time being of the operational state quantity and to set the damping assemblies to a damping characteristic corresponding to the value for the time being of the operational state quantity.
Known, for example, from DE-38 35 057-A1 is a process whereby, on the occurrence of long-wave pitch stimulations, i.e., oscillations of the vehicle body in the direction of travel the damping intensity is adjusted depending upon the oscillation amplitude. On the exceeding of a threshold value of the amplitude there is carried out in addition a regulation of the level of the vehicle body. This process also reacts only to the driving situation for the time being represented by the oscillation amplitude, in which the vehicle actually finds itself. In the same way as the other known methods, the process known from DE-38 35 057-A1 still does not make it possible either to counteract in good time the stimulations to the vehicle body. The adjustment to an intense damping characteristic over a lengthy period necessary for the damping of the built-up stimulations runs contrary to the wish, on grounds of comfort, to leave the damping assemblies, as long as possible, set to as soft as possible a damping characteristic.